Daily updates on climate change and the global economy.

Daily updates on climate change and the global economy.
Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.

Daily updates on climate change and the global economy.
Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.

Daily updates on climate change and the global economy.
Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.

Daily updates on climate change and the global economy.
Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.

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Global sea surface temperatures have just reached the highest mark in Earth’s recorded history.

“Marine heatwaves are dominating Earth’s oceans. Sea surface temperatures are even outpacing 2016 when the last Super El Niño occurred.

“Another El Niño will likely develop this summer/fall and could potentially be quite strong.”

https://twitter.com/US_Stormwatch/status/1636841867638882307


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One of the largest sea stars in the world, the sunflower sea star, was once common along the Pacific Coast of North America. Its sharp decline has prompted NOAA Fisheries to propose listing the species as threatened

“While Sea Star Wasting Syndrome is not well understood, it appears to be exacerbated by rapid changes in water temperature, warmer ocean temperatures, and other physical stressors. Outbreaks are likely to recur as the climate continues to warm…”

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/noaa-fisheries-proposes-listing-sunflower-sea-star-threatened-under-endangered-species


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Oceanfront homes crumble in California as torrential rains lead to landslides.

“Across California, residents have been reeling from the effect of extreme weather, with a large portion of the state now covered by a presidential emergency declaration. California has been hit with 11 atmospheric rivers in a virtually nonstop series…”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/17/california-landslides-storms-homes


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50 feet of snow buries chairlifts at California ski resorts.

““This historic year is a sight to see,” Sierra-at-Tahoe stated Monday on Facebook. “Chairs have significant rime ice buildup that must be manually removed, lift shacks + ski patrol stations are completely buried, Puma chairs in West Bowl have been covered.”

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2023/03/50-feet-of-snow-buries-chairlifts-at-california-ski-resorts


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Wildfires across the West are killing more trees — making it harder for forests to regrow.

“Hotter and drier conditions caused by climate change are helping lead to more severe wildfires across the West. Those more severe wildfires are hurting the forests’ ability to regrow after the fires are out. Those are among the findings of a new report from the Nature Conservancy and others.”

https://kjzz.org/content/1841576/wildfires-across-west-are-killing-more-trees-making-it-harder-forests-regrow


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‘We need some rain prayer’ [Jamaica]…

“”This is one of the worst droughts. When the stats are taken it will do more damage than any other drought in the last 50 years. Look on the Irish potato crop, [it] has been lost. Yam farmers, another major group, what they are reaping it doesn’t make any sense and they can’t plant back, because the drought is so intense,” he said.”

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/we-need-some-rain-prayer/


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Peru: Chaclacayo suffers third-landslide day.

“The Chaclacayo population faces a new landslide at kilometer 24 of Carretera Central (Central Highway), which has paralyzed the transit of people and vehicles in said district of eastern Metropolitan Lima. The strength of water has broken the walls of various houses…”

https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-peru-chaclacayo-suffers-thirdlandslide-day-933160.aspx


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Endless heat in Argentina: on 16th March temperatures above 35C spread again South to Patagonia with 36.5C [97.7F] at San Antonio Oeste.

“The heat in Central Argentina and SE Brazil will go on including the week with temperatures well above mid summer averages, let alone March.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1636800924185133084


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Sewage alert at 50 UK beaches after rain triggers spills…

“The spills were caused by downpours that followed the driest February in England in 30 years. Experts said further “unseasonably sustained” rainfall would be needed to avoid drought conditions this summer.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sewage-alert-at-50-beaches-after-rain-triggers-spills-clean-it-up-7w7bsg03p


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Half a million trees have died next to one 21-mile stretch of road, National Highways admits [UK].

“National Highways planted 850,000 saplings as part of a £1.5bn upgrade of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon, which was opened in 2020. But an internal review seen by Sky News reveals three-quarters of them have since died.”

https://news.sky.com/story/half-a-million-trees-have-died-next-to-one-21-mile-stretch-of-road-national-highways-admits-12836768


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‘Alarming’ rate of mountain forest loss a threat to alpine wildlife…

“An area of mountain forest larger than the state of Texas has been lost since 2001, with the amount disappearing each year accelerating at an “alarming” rate, a study warns… The main drivers of loss were logging, the expansion of agriculture and wildfires.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/17/alarming-rate-of-mountain-forest-loss-threat-to-alpine-wildlife-aoe


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Historic warm spell in SW France and Spain: on 16 March 29.7C [85.5F] at Trois Ville in France.

29.1C at San Sebastian AP in Spain (Basque Region), both records for March.

“Several monthly records fell in France with full summer temperatures.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1636406347947446274


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Farming and tourism under threat as winter drought dries up France’s Lake Montbel.

“Set at foot of the Pyrenees mountains, Lake Montbel is famous in south-west France for its turquoise waters, massive size and thriving aquatic life. But as spring nears, the postcard landscape has largely turned into a muddy wasteland…”

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/science-environment/2383079-farming-and-tourism-under-threat-as-winter-drought-dries-up-frances-lake-montbel


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Spain enters long-term drought after another abnormally warm winter…

For the first time on record, Spain has seen five unusually warm winters in a row… This winter, despite moments of chilly temperatures, there were no official “cold waves.” Instead, temperatures were an average of 0.8 C (1.44 F) warmer than usual in Peninsular Spain… Spain saw its hottest December on record.”

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/spain-enters-long-term-drought-after-another-abnormally-warm-winter/2848528


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Italy readies 7.8 billion euro package to tackle drought…

“Italian rivers and lakes are suffering from a severe lack of water, the Legambiente environmental group said last month, adding the Po, Italy’s longest river which runs from the Alps in the northwest to the Adriatic, had 61% less water than normal at that time.”

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-readies-78-bln-euro-package-tackle-drought-newspaper-2023-03-17/


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Greece Bears Highest Climate-Related Economic Costs in EU due to Wildfires and Floods.

“Wildfires and floods have combined in recent years to cause extensive damage, leading to Greece having the highest level of climate-related economic costs in the European Union, at €91 ($96.95) per capita. This figure was recorded for 2020, prior to the even more devastating fires that followed.”

https://www.thenationalherald.com/greece-hardest-hit-eu-country-for-wildfires-flooding-losses/


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In the past two decades, the number of extreme weather events in Turkey has been on the increase as a result of the climate crisis.

In 2022, some 1,030 such events occurred, setting an all-time high for the country. In the two previous years, the number of events was 1,024 and 984, respectively.”

https://m.bianet.org/english/environment/275790-turkey-saw-record-number-of-extreme-weather-events-in-2022


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Floods Death Toll Reaches 18 in Türkiye. “In 36 hours the amount of rain that usually falls in a year fell,” the Interior Minister Soylu said.

“On Friday, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu confirmed that 18 people have died in the last two days due to flooding in southeastern Turkey, in an area already affected by the February 6 earthquakes.”

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Floods-Death-Toll-Reaches-18-in-Turkiye-20230317-0008.html


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15 people lost their lives as result of floods in north Kurdistan.

“Strong floods caused by heavy rains in Raha, Samsur and Malatya in Bakur, yesterday, caused the loss of 13 people their lives in Raha and 2 in Samsur. While Amed, Merdin, and the surrounding cities also witnessed strong floods and torrential rains.”

https://hawarnews.com/en/haber/15-people-lost-their-lives-as-result-of-floods-in-north-kurdistan-h35573.html


A scene of how high the hail piles are in Najran [Saudi].” Video:

https://twitter.com/Om_SeaGateWeath/status/1636790617324789760


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Malawians fear storm Freddy could make deadliest cholera outbreak worse.

“”Unfortunately …there is a real concern now that we could in the next few weeks see a reversal in the gains that were so hard-won over the past month or so,” said Arielle Nylander, senior health policy analyst at WaterAid.”

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/malawians-fear-storm-freddy-could-make-deadliest-cholera-outbreak-worse-2023-03-17/


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The cyclone that lived longest: How Freddy broke all kinds of records…

“At 37 days, Freddy is the longest lived tropical cyclone ever recorded in any of Earth’s oceans and has broken the record of 31 days set by Hurricane John in 1994… Freddy also broke the record for the highest accumulated cyclone energy… Apart from this, Cyclone Freddy is the first tropical cyclone ever to experience seven phases of rapid intensification (RI) over its lifetime.”

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/natural-disasters/the-cyclone-that-lived-longest-how-freddy-broke-all-kinds-of-records-88258


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Kenya’s livestock markets reeling from devastating impacts of acute drought…

“Ngao said since the establishment of the market decades ago, the traders have never experienced a drought of such magnitude. Tala Town, located in the southern Kenyan county of Machakos, is sandwiched between sunbaked plains, with the primary source of livelihood being agriculture and livestock keeping.”

https://english.news.cn/20230316/a8dbbc59235b4e4abe035d5845a0094f/c.html


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Farmers in central Azerbaijan staged a protest this week over a long-festering problem — the shortage of water — and were violently suppressed by police…

“Saatli residents told BBC Azerbaijani that they have to water their fields with brackish water. “These soils will become dead in a maximum of two years,” one resident said. “They won’t yield even 10 centimeters.””

https://eurasianet.org/police-crack-down-on-water-protest-in-azerbaijan


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Seven million Iraqi children have limited access to safe water at school…

“For years the country has faced water scarcity issues, compounded by climate change, that affects the peace and security of the region. The invasion and ensuing violence left the country in a shambles, while corruption and mismanagement led to a slow reconstruction effort…”

https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/iraq/2023/03/18/seven-million-iraqi-children-have-limited-access-to-safe-water-at-school/


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Untimely rains threaten India winter crops just before harvesting.

“Untimely rains and hailstorms could damage India’s key winter-sown crops, such as wheat, rapeseed and chickpeas, just before harvesting begins for plants that have already suffered some heat stress, industry and weather department officials say.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/16/untimely-rains-threaten-india-winter-crops-just-before-harvesting


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A brutal heat wave is about to sweep East Asia (yes, again!) with temperatures expected to approach 40C [104F] in parts of Southern China. Japan will also see abnormal warmth.

“After more than 500 records beaten earlier this month, hundreds more are set to fall.”

https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1636708837485887488


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New South Wales has just had its coolest summer in 11 years, but now March is on track to be the hottest on record…

“Daily maximums this March have climbed as much as 15 degrees Celsius above the long-term average. In some cases, they have been the highest in decades, but it is not the extreme days that have been unprecedented, it has been the consistency of the heat.”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-18/nsw-weather-record-hot-march-follows-cool-summer/102113280


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Millions of fish dead in the worst mass kill ever to hit Menindee region, in NSW’s far west.

“Authorities have confirmed the overall scale and size of this mass fish kill eclipses similar events in 2018 and 2019. The horrific incident has been caused by low oxygen levels in the water combined with high temperatures, expected to peak above 40 degrees Celsius in the area over the weekend.”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-18/nsw-menindee-mass-fish-kill-worst-in-region/102115184


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Fire crews busy with extreme fire risk across parts of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

“Lake Eildon residents in Victoria’s alpine region are being told to leave their homes immediately to escape an out-of-control bushfire… The blaze is the latest of multiple bushfires across the state on Saturday as inland temperatures in Victoria ranged between the mid-30s to low-40s, along with high winds and dry ground cover.”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-18/heat-wave-fire-risk-across-several-states/102115098


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Global fresh water demand will outstrip supply by 40% by 2030, say experts.

“The world is facing an imminent water crisis, with demand expected to outstrip the supply of fresh water by 40% by the end of this decade, experts have said on the eve of a crucial UN water summit. Governments must urgently stop subsidising the extraction and overuse of water…”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/17/global-fresh-water-demand-outstrip-supply-by-2030


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Here are the most polluted cities in the U.S. and world.

About 90% of the global population in 2022 experienced unhealthy air quality… The report found that the top five most polluted countries in 2022 were Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain and Bangladesh. The most polluted cities globally were Lahore, Pakistan; Hotan, China; Bhiwadi, India; Delhi, India; and Peshawar, Pakistan.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/17/most-polluted-cities-and-countries-in-the-world-according-to-iqair.html


You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back on Monday with an “Economic” thread.

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